Hurry Up and Wait
by MethuselahPixie
Summary: Heroes don't take nights off. But Robin has been pushing his friends too hard in the war against crime, and after letting himself experience some normal things for a change, he falls into something not-so-usual after a wipeout leaves him seeing stars. The magnetic pull that is Wally West might be more than just his charm or his super-charged neurons.
1. Always Start Out in First Gear

The strum of the guitar music pouring from the store's speakers flowed over him like the sound of waves crashing on rocks, and he slid his hands further into his pockets. The city was alive tonight. The buildings hummed with golden lights in their windows and laughing faces with shadowy profiles. Pounding music could be heard from clubs up and down the street, as well as out of cars and the headphones of delinquents. The stars hung like glitter in the sky, the neon lights failing to block them out. High beams slid over him as he used long strides to navigate the flood of people. The sound of honking and the tread of tires crackling over asphalt prickled his ears. Even the air was full of life. It throbbed with music, and gusted a cold breeze to cool sweaty foreheads perspiring from dance.

A smile worked its way onto his lips. Yeah, this was Jump City, all right. Jump City on a Saturday night. Masked but dressed down, Robin wandered, his eyes sliding over the people and places lit up and glowing. He was half undercover to find unsuspecting crime, and half trying to honor a deal with Starfire to take a night off and relax. They'd been fighting together for two solid years without barely a breath of fresh air from the grip of crime. His eighteenth birthday was tomorrow - not that anyone would know, he kept it on the down-low - so he had grudgingly let Starfire talk him off another case. The others had sighed in relief; most had melted all over the couch, and Raven had gone to meditate on the ceiling. Maybe they were right, he thought. Maybe I did work them too hard.

A store he spotted across the street was closed, but full of ninja equipment. Easily excited, he grinned and crossed through the throng of cars to the dark window. No one minded him sliding in. He smiled and sat back on his heels, rushing bodies swarming around him. It was mostly cheap swords and nun chucks, but it was still fun to look. Spotting his reflection, he peered at himself curiously. Dark skinny jeans on his narrow hips and boots on his feet, replacing his steel-toes. A blue t-shirt much lighter than his spandex under a gray leather jacket. He felt so civilian. So normal. Even his mask didn't make him look that out of place. Peering about, he saw kids going into the clubs dressed four times are strangely as him.

Now that he noticed it, they were pouring inside in thick lines, laughing and shouting. Curious, he went after them, checking out the door to the club as he strode inside. The walls vibrated with bass. The lights flashed. A bar sat in the corner, up on a platform, and was flanked by columns. He went to it and slid onto a stool and leaned both arms on the counter, but he wasn't interested in booze. From there he had a clear view of the dance floor. Turning to see, he watched in amusement as people bucked and swayed to crazy beats.

A kid slid in beside him with a loud greeting, and a bright green Mohawk. He was blabbering about some band, and Robin humored him, giving the best answers he could without seeming like he knew nothing about this band, although he did know nothing. But after a few glasses of water for Robin and beer for the kid he began to mention the bands he knew. The kid was Martius – he had just graduated from the local high school. He was even into martial arts. Ecstatic, Robin dove into a conversation with him, shouting over the pounding music.

A few more people piled up to them wearing lopsided grins and the strangest clothing Robin had ever seen. They dragged both of them onto the dance floor, and they crowded around, dancing madly for most of the night. A girl with a purple dress complete with hanging chains danced with Robin, her pretty face sharply seductive. He just went along with the music and let it loosen him up. Martius teased him a lot over his mask but it didn't budge the young hero; after all, he wasn't the one with green hair.

The heavy heat of the club began to get to them after a few long hours, so Martius invited Robin to join him and his friends at the skate park. All of them left together, laughing and telling jokes. The night air had turned frigid. Robin lent his jacket to the girl in the purple dress with a charming look and she thanked him in giggles and flirtatious winks.

Before crossing the emptying streets, Robin turned back to see if they had everyone in the group together, and saw a head of ginger hair attached to a kid. He blinked and they vanished, making him jump, but he just raised an eyebrow and followed after his new friends. Who had they been, he wondered? Strange. No one could teleport like that, not that he knew of. Had he just imagined someone there? Maybe.

Hands shoved into his pockets, he walked with them seven blocks to the park. The darkness seemed brighter now than it had before he went into the club. As if it had changed from sleepy to electrified. As they piled through the gates to the park, he saw why. All the kids were awake. Whether they were eleven or twenty one, the skate park was filled to the brim with skaters and rollerbladers and bikers and scooterists. It was amazing to see all of them sharing the same space so easily. All of his friends produced one of the stated local modes of transport; someone even pushed a board into his hands.  
His breath misted from the cold as he rubbed the back of his neck, protesting against being good at skateboarding humbly. But they egged him on and cheered and promised him he'd warm up if he did. That last part convinced him.

Eyebrow quirked and a grin on his face, he slapped the board down and followed them into the fray. The grind of the wheels against the concrete and the wind in his face made him hoot along with them as they plunged into the empty swimming pool swarming with boarders. Colors of people and their clothes and boards flashed by him. Someone did a backflip right over his head. The chaos of the rhythm of jumps synchronized all at once, all of them angling up the same way into the jumps.  
Adrenaline coursed through Robin's veins as he felt the cold air fly up his flapping shirt and push against his neck and chest, but he didn't care. The power in his legs as he maneuvered the board was intensifying. He couldn't feel his fingers or his feet either, but he couldn't bring himself to think about it – the rush of the night had filled his head.


	2. Out of Character

The perfect line of skaters broke up when they wanted to do their own thing. Robin thought he passed another redhead male as he flew along the ramps, kicking a 360 over a railing, but he couldn't really tell. He shot through sweaty bodies he didn't recognize all on his own, keeping an eye out for anyone who might get in his way. The big ramp had space, though, and he aimed right for it. He put his foot to the ground and launched himself up the high jump, cruising at light speed up the side of it and sailing through the air, his board twirling. With a kick-flip, he returned the soles of his shoes to his board just before he smacked back down, sending him flying into a horde of cheering skater kids. They made a path for him and watched him board passed, slapping high-fives as he went.

He dove back into the stream of boarders in the swimming pool. He did more kick jumps, sailing over people, and was feeling like he was invincible. Of course, what that happens, it rarely ever stays that way. Robin flew up into a jump he didn't judge right, and realized last minute it was a horrible idea. He flung out his arms to help deflect the three other kids flying at him, and their boards collided, clacking against the ground as the people crumpled into a heap beside them. Half the park dropped everything and rushed over. They pulled the kids off each other, supporting them with several pairs of kind hands, and Robin was dazed. He'd smacked his head into some kid's helmet.

He felt warm hands turn him onto his back, and looked up dizzily into a smiling freckled face. "You should really be careful where you ride," a friendly voice teased. "When you get pumped it's hard to see the directions you shouldn't be going."

That voice. He'd heard it before. Green eyes laughed down at him, but the face was smiling. His red hair was like a beacon in his shaken state. "Kid Fl-"

"HE'S OK," Wally West cried, to which everyone cheered. "Not here, man." He whispered to the young hero, helping him to his feet. Robin smacked his forehead, which hurt. He'd almost blurted his hero identity. He must be concussed or something.  
They broke out of the crowd, and Robin's friends found him and covered him in worried questions. Their concern was so genuine that it made his smile warm. Without much energy he tried to tell them he was just fine, without really being fine, and Wally stepped in. "I'll take him home, guys. He needs to tap out for tonight." After a bit of protest and pouting, they agreed.

Gratefully, Robin bid his friends good-bye and let Wally lead him out the gates. The night had become a lot colder. Robin shivered involuntarily in his short sleeves as he followed Wally down the street. "Thanks. It always ends well when I meet a fellow hero on the streets." He joked. "I appreciate the save. But you don't have to walk me back to the tower."

Wally's disarmingly charming smile flashed as he spun on the balls of his feet to face the boy wonder. He had on a thick jade-green sweater that mirrored his eye color, over a collared shirt. There were red sneakers on his feet and his jeans were regular blue denim, worn but clean. "You're too noodly to be left alone, Rob. I'll give you a ride home."

At the thought of Kid Flash carrying him back to the tower, Robin blushed. "Thanks, but no thanks," he chuckled nervously. "I'll walk."

"Dude!" Wally protested. "I just got a car, I'm not gonna haul you all the way there myself!" He pretended to be insulted and patted a red car beside him, making Robin laughed.

"Sorry, I thought that's what you meant. A car ride I could go for." He smiled. Sliding into the passenger's side, he settled into the leather, sighing in relief. "I haven't been off my feet in hours. I think they went numb before I even got here."

Wally got in beside him, snug behind the steering wheel, and laughed. "Sounds like you had a busy night! Good to know you can enjoy life outside the limelight every once in a while." He pulled off his sweater and tossed it at Robin. "Here. That girl took your jacket, right?" With a shocked nod, Robin eagerly pulled the sweater over his head. It radiated with heat and the smell of musky cologne. Wally seemed to be emanating body heat, which was good for a night like tonight. Starting up the Mustang, he slid into drive and cruised off the curb and down the road. "You really party as hard as you fight."

"Yeah, I guess," Robin sighed. "It's no less exhausting, though."

The silence that settled was… unsettling. Robin couldn't help but wonder about the ginger hair at the club. He canted his head to the side thinking about it. Did Kid follow him? He stretched his hands out to the heaters as Wally turned them up and put the idea on the back-burner of his mind, focusing on thawing his stiff fingers. His exhaustion began to creep up into his bones and make him heavier and heavier. Without Wally to take him back, he would have fallen asleep somewhere on the side of the road. He'd gotten lucky. God knows what Martius would have done if he'd had to spend the night with him. Probably wake him up with metal music at like eight in the morning.

Every time Robin glanced over he would inevitably catch Wally stealing a glance of his own and they would immediately look elsewhere. Oddly, whether from the heat or embarrassment, Robin felt heat in his cheeks.  
"So," Wally cleared his throat. "Your head. How do you feel? Think you got a little too rattled up there?"

Robin looked down at his hands. "Well, I can clearly tell I only have ten fingers, and I can remember the date pretty well. I think I'll be fine."

Beside him, Wally laughed lightly. "Wow, you are a lot funnier out of character."

"Out of character?"

"Yeah, you know. Not all gung-ho and Robin-esque. Although that is a very good façade," Wally said quickly. "It suits you. The humor, and the gung-ho thing. But the humor thing does so… more."

Smiling, Robin snuggled down into the sweater and glanced at the passing buildings. "You'd be the first to think so."

Wally seemed to tense a bit. He'd gotten the implication. "So Bats didn't…?"

"No, he didn't," Robin interrupted wearily. "But his opinion doesn't matter anymore. I'm just glad somebody likes me… out of character."

The smile on the ginger's face was lost on the boy wonder, who sank into a heavy slumber shortly after.


	3. The Green Sweater

"HI-YA! This morning, on fight radio-"  
Groaning, Robin rolled over the next morning, smacking his alarm clock. Pulling his arm back under the covers, he wiggled further into his cocoon and buried his head in as well. His 5:30 wake-up call only gave him two hours of sleep. Since it was his birthday, and he had been out late, he figured he deserved some rest. He sank back into heavy dreaming with memories of the previous night swirling in his head. Skateboarding. Dancing. Smiling faces. Bright darkness; he replayed Wally's conversation over and over in his head. His pillow had never been so soft, and his bed had never been so warm.

The doors to the living room slid open with a whoosh. Burning sunlight poured through the large windows, making Robin wince as he smothered a yawn. Rubbing his eyes, he descended the stairs, stumbling into the kitchen. He flopped his hand onto the fridge handle and was about to swing it open when a huge BANG shot him a mile into the air.

"HAAAAAAAAPPY!" Beast boy cried.

"BIRTHDAY, MAAAAAAAAAN!" Cyborg boomed.

Miles of shiny, fluttering streamers and big colored balloons and buckets of rainbow-explosion confetti buried Robin. The speakers exploded into his favorite rock music. His friends appeared out of nowhere singing Happy Birthday loudly and off-key, and carting stacks of pancakes and tofu waffles and a birthday cake shaped like the tower. Starfire shot off green-bolt fireworks. Raven stood off to the side with the cake, looking humiliated. But Cyborg, Beastboy and Starfire tackled him with hugs.

"Oh, I thought you would never wake! It is bad luck to miss your own birthday!" Starfire chimed, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Robin blushed under her crushing grasp, her chest firmly shoved against his.

"Yeah, man, you must've partied hard! Meet any cute girls?" Beast Boy asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I met a few, but one stole my jacket, so I don't think it went well," Robin replied, and smiled as Beast Boy cracked up.

"Happy Birthday, Rob," Cyborg grinned. "We've been plannin' this for weeks. Especially the balloons." He slid into the corner and began to jump into the piles of balloons.

"Tell me, why did you not mention it was your day of birth to us?" Starfire questioned. "Did you forget?"

Robin laughed. "No, I just didn't want to make a big deal about it. I didn't think it was worth it." They all paused to look at him in shock for a moment. He rubbed his neck shyly, balancing the plate of pancakes that were shoved at him with one hand. "Sorry, guys. I really don't do birthdays for myself."

They exchanged looks. Like, 'It must've been a thing between him and Bats,' and grins broke out onto their faces. "Sorry to disappoint," Cyborg smiled. "But we like to celebrate the day we got our fearless leader."

"Yeah," Beast Boy piped. "We even got a cake and everything!"

They all looked at Raven, who held it up. "Woo, cake," she said monotonously, and at the glaring looks she received she tugged at her collar. "We're really glad you're here, Robin. You only get one birthday." She pointed out.

"I guess so." Robin said shortly, managing a smile.

"Robin, where did you get this sweater?" Starfire interjected curiously, pulling back from her hug to look down at his chest.

Looking down at himself, he realized he was still wearing the clothes from last night. He found heat creeping into his cheeks and a profoundly embarrassed look took over his face. "Oh, uh, s-some girl took my jacket last night," he stammered, plucking at its soft green material. "So Kid Flash lent me this when he gave me a ride home." Even as extremely on fire his face was, he never wanted to take this sweater off. It was very, very comfortable, and very warm.

"Kid Flash? Really?" Cyborg asked as he walked back over, his static making several balloons stick to him. "He was there?"

Nodding, the boy wonder shrugged. "I guess he was on his night off, too. He helped me out after I wiped out on my skateboard."

They all grabbed him and dragged him to the table, demanding details. So, he filled them in, leaving out the details about the girl dancing on him, and Wally's… charm. They all piled up onto the food, Beast Boy making for the cake before Robin was even halfway through his pancakes. Cyborg chewed him out as Starfire put mayonnaise on her waffles and Raven sat looking annoyed in front of her tofu waffles.  
Robin let them celebrate for him. He smiled and nodded and laughed along with them. But his heart wasn't in it. Even if he was glad they cared for him, he still felt jaded. He used to spend his birthdays on perimeter checks. He felt like he didn't deserve a birthday. After all, if Batman didn't think it was important, than it wasn't. He clutched his glass of milk with both hands and watched his friends and their antics and just let himself bask in their company, promising himself he would deny all other birthday celebrations… after breakfast.


	4. Weighted Down

Turns out, Starfire had an entire day planned, and Robin had griped and moaned and pleaded with them to just give it up and leave him be. But, to no avail, unfortunately. They took him out. All of them went to see the sequel to his favorite ninja movie in theaters, and visited some dojos, and presented him with their gifts. He got two new utility belts from Cyborg, a blue cape from Raven, a flower crown from Starfire, and Beast Boy made him a tofu cake. Seeing as that was an obvious disaster, they all agreed to go out for pizza.

They crowded around their usual table with the ceaseless kind of noise good friends seemed to emanate. Robin felt like he had had enough of celebrating. Everything had been awesome, and he really appreciated what his friends went through to make this day amazing for him… but he just wanted to go back home to the tower, and open his secret briefcase, and sit in nostalgia until today was over. His heart was heavy. And his good mood was getting more and more difficult to fake. When they were all distracted arguing over pizza toppings, he got up from the table and went into the bathroom.

He pushed through the door, and felt its outside heat pulsating through his gloves. But when it swung shut behind him the breeze was cold. He wondered why that was? Bathrooms were always so impersonal. He went to the sink to see his reflection. A spikey-haired hero of mystery. Reaching up, he touched his mask. It had been so long since anyone had seen him without it. Seeing as last night had been his first break from hero days in forever, he figured it may never happen. The job was all he had. It was him. He sighed heavily, leaning both hands on the sink edge and staring at them. Why did he feel so bad on his birthday?

"Hey," came a voice, startling him. He whirled to see a familiar freckled face leaning against the row of stalls, soft green eyes devoid of laughter. Wally pushed off the wall of the stall to stride casually over to Robin's side, hands in his pockets. "You look pretty down. Did something happen?" He was not in costume. A red jacket, a black t-shirt, jeans and those red sneakers again. Actually, he hadn't been in costume last time, either. His face was quietly, kindly curious, in sympathy for the obvious mood Robin was in.

"Are you following me?" Robin questioned, confused.

A shrug, and a smile met him as a reply, and he found that when he looked too deeply into the ginger's eyes he lost his conviction. "I asked first," Wally pointed out simply.

Robin sighed, leaning against the sinks and folding his arms at his waist. "My birthday happened." He said darkly, gaining a look of surprise from his questioner.  
"How could that be a bad thing?" Wally asked curiously, shifting on the balls of his feet for emphasis, observing the caped wonder curiously. "Eighteen, right? Congrats. It's a mile marker."

"Yeah, eighteen. It isn't a bad thing. Not for my friends. But birthdays weren't the same for me as it was for them - I mean, even Raven, we still have parties for her; even after the end. I just…" He ran his fingers through his hair moodily. "I'm not really sure. I don't like to be reminded of what they used to be like, my birthdays, before…"

"Before you left Bats for oppressing your freedom?" Wally piped. He leaned on the sinks beside Robin, twisting to smile at the brooding expression on the other boy's face. "Look, it's none of my business, but those guys out there adore you. Without you, I think it's fair to say they'd be pretty lost. Why not let them celebrate?" His smile flickered. "Why sit around, and think about the past, and let it haunt you – when you should be happy your friends celebrate how much they love you?"

Looking over at him, Robin hunched his shoulders a bit, in defense against such personal questions, searching his face for some bit of selfish intent. There was none. All he saw was a handsome kid with a good heart, trying to make him feel a little less low. Robin let his shoulders relax and loosened his tightly-wound arms, pressing his palms to the cold bathroom counter. His eyes went to the floor. "I know you're right. But I can't help the way it feels," he confessed, unsure of why he was doing so. "Even if it was pretty tough wishing all those years for some celebration from the man I called my father. Even then, I liked those times. They built me. Made me humble. I won't believe that he didn't care – he was just trying to teach me. He was always trying to make me learn something new. This was just another lesson. And I knew it. I was ok with it."

Wally reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, and Robin felt his eyes drinking him in. "You can keep the lesson without the hurt. It just takes time. You just have to be willing to patch up that wound, and let time and your friends heal it."

Their eyes darted to each other's. The tension of nerves Wally held for his brazen answer to be met with anger was just as tense as Robin's nerves over asking him another question. But the Kid Flash was handling his with much more cool. Either way, it was up to wonder boy. Taking a deep breath, Robin glanced Wally over. "Your turn." Wally blinked. "I answered your question," Robin pointed out, "you answer mine." A beat. "Are you following me?"

Wally broke into chuckles, which was not what Robin had expected, and he watched in shock as the ginger slid his hands into his pockets again. "I might be, actually," he grinned, bringing a blush onto the other boy's face that crept under his mask unfettered. "Sorry, I'm not usually this forward. Actually that's a lie. I am. It's just what I do."

Robin recovered enough to open his mouth, but the time he'd begun to answer, Cyborg appeared in the doorway and Wally had vanished. The suddenness of his disappearance had Robin looking around wildly.

"You ok, Robin? You've been gone a while." Cyborg was giving him a curious look, but Robin just pushed off the sink and gave him a sheepish smile. "Missing something?"

"No. No, I'm fine," he replied, "I just needed some time to think." He walked out with him, glancing back only once to see Wally standing in a crowd of kids wearing high school sweaters. "I could use some pizza right about now."

"Well, all right." Cyborg grinned, smacking his back, hard. "Let's get back to the food. Hopefully BB didn't eat your share."  
He had. The argument that broke out was only paused to order Robin a new pizza. He sat smiling, exchanging teasing remarks about not saving him a slice with the girls until the new pizza arrived. Seeing as he barely ate any, they voted to take it home and have a zombie movie marathon, and Robin picked up the box and followed them out the door. When he looked back to the table with the high-schoolers, Wally was gone, and he felt a strange, heavy disappointment in his chest.


	5. The Thickening Plot

The toilet flushed and the light flicked off as Robin emerged into the hall. Darkness clung to his spiked hair and his somber face and his dark jeans. He looked like a bat looming in its nest. Usually he didn't wander around in his regular clothes, but he felt like he deserved it. After a day of celebrating and a five hour movie marathon he just wanted some calm and comfortable. Something to distract him. Maybe he'd go work out, or just go to bed. Rubbing his arm, he glanced down the corridor. He just had a red tank top under Wally's thick sweater, the cold air of the T-tower unable to penetrate it. It was pretty late. Or, early. Probably one in the morning. The large windows gave a beautiful view of the ocean. Instead of going back to his room he walked to the window and pressed a hand to it. Its chill made his palm shiver.

What did Wally mean, he was following him? Why? He'd said being forward as if he was being… romantic. That was pretty different. Of course, Robin himself had little time for anything like romantic feelings. When he did find time for them they always seemed to get swept under the rug for long periods of time. But he'd never really had anyone be forward about their feelings. He'd known a few girls he'd mingled with, but not often. Now he was drifting in and out of a flirtation with Starfire. But nothing was serious, nothing was set in stone. They were heroes. They could die tomorrow fighting something impossible. Why even try to settle down? The fact that Wally was a guy was… different. He hadn't had much experience with watching guys flirt with guys on TV. It was always soap operas about guys and girls. But he didn't feel uncomfortable with it. Actually, it was interesting. And that was the easiest way to win him over.

A motion out of the corner of his eye drew him from his thoughts. He squinted out the window. In the water, there was a figure running along it. Kid Flash! Robin gaped as he watched Wally spell out ' ' in the water. The waves were dark and churning beneath his feet, their glinting blues and greens like ink and deep seaweed as they rolled over and over one another, endlessly over the horizon. A line slid under the name, and then he was gone.

Robin ran downstairs. He rushed the elevator and pushed open the ground floor hatch to the rocky isle that was their sanctuary. He stepped into the cold, salty night air and looked around. "Kid Flash?" He called. "Kid Flash!"

"I'm here."  
Robin turned to see Wally leaning against a large boulder. He was in skinny jeans and converse and a long-sleeve red shirt. The breeze caught the scent of cologne and whipped it passed Robin, letting it sink into him. Green eyes glowed from a freckled face. A casual smile matched them.

"You're… here." Came the confused reply from the boy wonder.

"I did admit I was following you." Wally walked over to him, arms crossed over his chest. "I see you kept the sweater."

"Ah…? Oh!" Robin plucked guiltily at the sweater, turning red in embarrassment. He'd entirely forgotten he was wearing it. The truth was… it still smelled like Wally. It reminded him of the soothing voice and the car ride and the skate park. "That night was so… wild. Different. I thought I'd forget about it without this." He admitted honestly. "I've never done so many normal things in one night. It was…"

"Surreal?" Wally finished for him, and the nod he got in reply was answer enough. His eyes crinkled gently when he smiled. "That happens a lot when you're around me. But it's a welcome change from normal routine, right?"

"Yeah. How did you…?" Robin squinted at him oddly. The wind rippled through their hair.

Wally just shrugged, gazing back at him. "You seemed to want to hold onto the memory."

Suddenly Robin felt very surreal. He looked down at his hands, furrowing his brow. Maybe he was tired. Maybe he just felt different. Maybe he needed to sleep. He clenched his hands into fists and looked back up to Wally. "Why did you come?" He asked curiously.

"For you. Why else?" Wally held out his hand. "I felt like you needed some respite from your tiring day." He mesmerized Robin with a mysterious look and moved his fingers a bit. "Come with me."

Pausing to think it over, Robin looked at him and reached out, taking the offered hand. Wally drew him in and in one swift motion, picked him up in his arms. Bride style. This alarmed his victim, who made a noise of protest, was too late. Wally was already flying. The world rushed passed like they were a subway train – streets and lights and buildings and hallways flashed by so fast that when they stopped, Robin was dizzy. Wally gently set him down, arms on his shoulders to help him recover.  
"You all right?" The red head chuckled

Robin laughed, leaning back a bit to regain his balance. "Fine, I just wasn't expecting…" His head spun. Everything looked… different. He blinked and looked over Wally's shoulder. Jump city was not the city sprawled out below them. It was New York City. THE New York City. He gaped, his words wrestled away from him and blown into the night air, which whipped around them wildly.

Wally took his hand, smiling, and led him to the edge. Both of them sat on the edge of the rooftop, and Robin stared and stared at the sprawling landscape. "Yeah, I know." Wally said quietly.

"How did… I mean, I knew you could go fast, but…" Robin shook his head, impressed, and looked over at him. "This is amazing."

"It's pretty beautiful here," Wally agreed. "Bright, and busy, and tough. Like someone I've seen around." He leaned his elbows on his knees, and Robin copied him, and they gazed out over the city together. A few quiet moments passed. "How was the celebrating?"

"It was… fun. I enjoyed it." Robin smiled into the breeze. "It took me a while. But you were right. Once I put aside the past, I was finally able to let go. My friends wanted to make this a special day for me, and without you that wouldn't have been possible. I wanted to thank you."

"No need. I'm happy to help."

"What about you? Is this why you were following me around? To show me around and make me feel better?" Robin wondered aloud.

Laughter bubbled up in Wally's chest and spilled over his lips like a warm hug in the winter or a safe room in a hurricane. It sent warm shivers down Robin's spine and made the blood rush to his cheeks and his gaze be blunted by shyness. "Yes," Wally mused, "But this is all part of a bigger plot. Now, I'm not going to reveal it yet, because I'm a smart villain. You have to put the pieces together. But when you figure it out, then I'll tell you everything you want to know. I promise."


	6. Fallen For

Wally showed up several times after that. He kept taking Robin across the globe at the small hours of the morning. Always managing to work around their scouting route, and missions, he showed up the moment Robin began to think he'd forgotten all about him. He always came with a warm laugh and a smile and a new adventure. They went to Greece and Rome and Georgia and all the most beautiful, unknown places they could find, hanging off trees and rooftops and running through narrow alleyways chasing villains. They fought together in uniform, and stood on the top of monuments and sat on world wonders eating cheeseburgers and fries. Wally always talked about how much he'd wanted to share his world with someone else – he had done a lot of traveling in his spare time, surprise there, and found tons and tons of nice places he had ached to show somebody. Having someone who knew what it was like to be all over the world and so absorbed with life and work was like a light in the tunnel.

His smile seemed suddenly sad to Robin. His laugh felt… hollow. Loneliness was such a big part of his life now that his Young Justice league had broken up that it had taken a toll on him. Some of that anger had backed him into a corner. He had gotten into pretty big trouble with one of the villains the Flash and him had fought a while ago; they'd tracked Wally down, and even kidnapped his family, and held them for ransom. Wally had almost killed himself several times to get them back – and still hadn't fully recovered. Mentally, at least.

He was healthier than ever now that he was terrified of turning the tides again and loosing his idiocy on the world again. All he had been doing before was work, work, work. Mission after mission. Ceaseless fighting. But in the end he'd pushed himself too far. So, Flash had mandated a mental health break for him, and sent him home for a week. No more missions until his head was back in place. Technically that break was still in effect – even though they'd been crime fighting together – but Wally felt better, looked better, thought better. Finding Robin that night had sparked something that was healing him.

This was a surprise to Robin, of course, who was watching him intently over a chocolate milkshake. They were in an ice cream shop in Italy, in civilian clothes, at three in the morning. Well, Pacific Eastern time. It was nine in the morning here. "So you aren't supposed to be fighting?" He questioned with a coy smile. Today he was wearing a black t-shirt under a dark blue button down, entirely unbuttoned and rolled up at the sleeves. Of course he was masked. A thick black watch was on his right wrist, a metal ring on his middle finger, and his jeans had holes in them. Black boots shifted against the tile of the veranda, the morning sun warming both of them considerably.

"No," Wally confessed. "But I also shouldn't be out at three am on a school night." He chuckled, and sat back in his chair. He had a brown racer leather jacket, a grey t-shirt beneath and his usual skinny jeans over red running shoes.

"You go to school?"

"Yeah. Don't you?"

"We can't. We've got an alien, a green guy, a cyborg, and an emotional grenade. Staying as far away from high school as possible is our goal in life." Robin joked.

"That actually sounds like fun. After all, everyone loves you guys." Wally blinked at him. "But what about you?"

Robin looked down at his milkshake guiltily. "I had really good grades when I lived with Bruce. I… I graduated a year early, in a governors school program. Technically I could go to college. But I'm not in the business of getting a normal job. Besides, it's all under my real name. It would blow my cover. That's why none of us do it, really. Some of us don't exist normally and you need paperwork to do things like that."

"You've got super hero friends!" Wally protested. "We could falsify things for you, make it easier. No one would mind heroes taking on some aliases. We do it pretty often."

"What about you?" Robin picked up his shake. "How do you do it?"

Wally shrugged. "I go to school under my real name. No one knows it's Kid Flash under the mask." His eyes softened. "But you don't like to go anywhere unmasked."

Robin fell silent. No, he didn't. He sipped his shake and shrugged. "It's not so bad. We're fine. We like what we do, it's what we were made for. Anyway you don't need a degree to kick bad guy butt." They shared a laugh, cradling their ice cream.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Wally asked suddenly.

Robin raised a brow at him. "Your plot? No, actually. Mind filling me in?"

"Not yet. You have to figure it out first." With a grin, Wally got up, holding out his hand. "Come on, let's get back. Your team will be missing you."

Looking up at him, Robin shook his head with a smile, getting to his feet as well. "Not yet," he said, surprising both of them. "Let's go somewhere else first."

"Where do you want to go?" Wally asked, confused.

"Paris." Robin found himself saying.

They soared into Paris, France, working through the thick traffic and the lights of a waking city. It was barely six there. Wally took them to the fountains of a huge museum, in clear view of the Eiffel Tower, and they sat on the edge together. "Why Paris?" Wally asked.

"I felt… romantic." Robin confessed, and Wally looked at him, blush blossoming behind his freckles. Returning it with a smile, Robin sat close to him and they turned to watch the sunrise. Wally's arm snaked around Robin's shoulders, and they sat together, one couple of dozens out early to catch the early pink rays of the day.


	7. Something Fishy This Way Comes

The team had begun to notice Robin's… mood. He strode around whistling and doing dishes and making breakfast. He left the sanctity of his room a lot more often and trained a lot less, as if he were getting practice in while he was asleep at night – if he did still sleep. Always yawning, a tired smile on his face, he would prop his feet up on the coffee table and play a videogame by himself. Obviously he should be sleeping. He sat on the roof a lot and looked at the sky or wandered outside, taking in the fresh air. There was barely a moment when he wasn't floating on air at some point during the day. His strange happy mood was so foreign that his friends began to worry that he was a clone, or a robot.

Just the sound of his footsteps alerted the others to exchange glances and watch as he strode into the common area to check the computers for any alerts in the city. He was ruffled, still in his civilian clothes, and as he leaned over the console Starfire was caught staring by Raven. She blushed and ducked her head until Robin had left again, twirling a flash drive around one finger, the other hand slung into his jean pocket. His yawn echoed down the hall as the doors slid shut behind him.

"Why does Robin act like this?" Starfire blurted. "He is always jovial, and wears normal things, and he is sleeping less and less! Is he sick?"

Raven turned to look over at her, smiling. "I'm not sure what's going on with him, but he doesn't seem to mind it."

"He may be being brainwashed!" Starfire lamented.

"Chill out, Star." Beast Boy leaned over his tofu waffles with a knife and fork, grinning. "I'm sure Rob just has a girlfriend or something."

The alien girl's entire face crumbled. She sank down onto the couch, hands on the back, and gave BB her best puppy dog eyes. "You… you do not really think so, do you?"

"Sure. Why not? He plays everything a little close to the chest; if he did have a love life, we'd be the last ones to know." Cyborg piped up, continuing to tighten a bolt on his knee. "He's happy for once. I think we should just let him be happy."

Starfire, now depressed, left her friends to relax and drifted out into the hall. Could it be true? Her Robin, in love with someone else? It was heart wrenching. She followed the smell of cologne and wind, sadly floating along, until she bumped her forehead into Robin's door. Big, sad green eyes lifted to the name engraved on the door. Who could it be? Maybe someone he'd met on his escapades she insisted he have to take a break. That must be it.

The door swished open, making her yelp in surprise, and Robin stood there blinking. "Starfire?" He asked curiously. "What's wrong?"

He looked so handsome, and so calm, and so tired, and so happy, and Starfire felt in her heart a throb that she found was hurting her because she was not the cause of it. "Robin, would you tell us if you were… involved?" She questioned.

"How do you mean?" Robin managed. He felt a flustering blush climbing into his cheeks.

"I mean involved… romantically. With someone else." Starfire explained hopefully.

"I…" Trailing off, Robin stood back a bit, glancing over his shoulder like he wanted to put on the green sweater again, and bury himself in it. His face glowed with blush. Biting his lip, he took a deep breath and turned back to her guiltily. He saw her hopeful look and sighed. "Starfire, I don't really know a lot about anybody's private life. I usually just… keep mine to myself."

"Oh." Starfire's smile fell away. "I see."

Sighing again, Robin ran his fingers through his hair. "I suppose I should. In case anything happens. I mean, I could go missing and no one would even know where to look," he said, mostly thinking aloud, and Starfire looked alarmed.

"What do you mean, go missing-"

BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP

Both of them looked up as the alarm systems began to go off. Shortly after Robin scrambled back into his hero get-up, Starfire waiting outside eagerly, they ran to the common area to see what was going on. "What is it?" Robin questioned Cyborg, who stood at the computer.

"Some weird readings coming from the coast," Cyborg replied. "An attack on Northside beach!"

"Titans, move out!" Robin shouted, and they bolted.

The beach was crawling with humanoid creatures, deathly thin and ghastly looking; their skin was blue and covered in barnacles and seaweed, their faces gaping holes. They were chased the screaming civilians on the beach and wrestling them into nets on the sand. Amidst the chaos, Starfire dropped Robin from above, allowing him to swiftly knock out a handful of the things.

"Sirens!" Raven called from another point where she was wrestling with a group of them over a net. They kept blasting sound out of their mouths. It was jarring noise, filling your head and leaking out your ears, taking control of your thoughts.

"WHAT?!" Cyborg demanded, blasting his way through them. "What the heck is a siren?!"

With a sweep of her arm, Raven took out a siren trying to tie up a sun bather. "They use their sound to make you docile, and control your mind! They're using it on the civilians!"

A familiar cry rang out and they all struggled to get a glimpse of Aqua Lad. He was fighting off a small horde of sirens on his own, and Robin ran to help him out, swinging his boe staff as he went. Left and right, getting clawed and screeched at, the Titans cleared off the beach together, rounding up what sirens they could into the nets, and Raven put a large black bubble around them to seal their sound inside. "Was anyone hit?" Robin looked around at his team. Cyborg shook his head, and so did Raven, but Starfire was busy rounding up the run-aways… and Beast Boy was walking around acting like a zombie. "Beast Boy!" Robin called sharply, worried, and the green titan laughed and rubbed his head.

"I'm just kidding! These guys are weird, though, right?" Beast Boy poked the bubble with one finger, and Robin blew a sigh of relief. Bruised but ok. Starfire flew back, dropping in the extras, and landed neatly beside him.

Aqua Lad patched a cut on his arm. "They broke out of Atlantian prison. If we can round them up, we'll throw them in a deeper hole this time." He looked to Robin. "Thanks for the help."

"Anytime," Robin replied easily, but he was wondering where Kid Flash had been.


	8. Heavy

Wally didn't come back. Robin hovered on the roof, on the rocks. He stared out his window for hours each night just waiting. A week passed. The dark crashing waves lulled him into worried thoughts that made him grind his teeth and bite his nails and run his fingers through his raven black hair. Anxiety rose in his chest, clutching at his throat and making his head swim. He flexed his fingers and curled them into fists. There was no comfort from it except in the green sweater. He wore it each night, patiently at first, wrapping himself up and leaning against the cold window pane. Then he grew more eager afterward. Pacing and counting the hours and minutes and seconds that Wally had been gone became routine. He gave his aching legs a rest near midnight and sat on the carpet of the hallway, gazing motionlessly out at the crashing waves.

The reflection of himself in the window was cold and pale. He wasn't coming back. That was it. A month of nothing but adventure and partnership and… Robin got up off the floor, after a week of nothing, and went to bed at last. It was midnight. He slept a full nine hours for the first time in a long time, and woke with a horrible feeling.  
Depression settled on him like a great god settling to rest on his chest and deciding he liked the seat. He managed to carry it around with him for a day or so; trudging to the bathroom, it sagged his shoulders and pulled him like a weight towards the floor. Like it just wanted him to sink to his knees and lay down and sleep forever, just sleep the years away. Eating away at his heart. His muscles. It was a feeling like he'd only experienced twice before. When his parents died, and when Bruce scolded him for the last time. Only now, it was deeper than his heart. His fists didn't want to rise, his legs barely moved. His back felt so, so heavy. He was heavy all over.

His friends saw it. Cyborg and Raven exchanged looks as he dragged through the kitchen for a glass of a milk and a bagel before retreating back to his room, wordless. Lifeless. Listless. Day in and day out, he began to sleep. There were missions that he ignored. He put in ear plugs to block out the alarm and just nursed a glass of milk and took a bite out of his bagel before putting them aside and crawling back underneath the covers. He tugged them up over his shoulder and stared at the wall. Just gazed at it for hours. His stomach bubbled for more food, but he didn't have the energy to eat. There was no glancing at the food longingly. There was no moving. There was only him and his thoughts.

Did he do something wrong? Did he make him mad, or gross him out? Did he go too far? Did he want too much? Each worry bounced around his empty head until it warmed into anxiety that seared burning hot scars into his heart.

He couldn't get up after the third day. Drifting in and out of sleep was all he did then. He pushed his nose into a wad of blankets and breathed deeply and cushioned his head on the green sweater. His bones ached with weariness and his heart was like a lead weight in his ribcage. A bitter taste stayed in his mouth. On the bedside table, the milk went sour and the bagel grew blue mold.

Another day passed. Darkness faded into light on the fourth day, Robin fell asleep once more, and a knock came on his door.  
"Robin?" Came soft voices. "Robin, can we come in?" No answer. The door slid open, and two sets of footsteps approached. Raven knelt by Robin's bedside and touched his forehead. "He's so pale. Cyborg, he needs to eat. I'll make him breakfast. Bring him into the living room." Her touch woke the boy wonder. He blinked at her blearily.

"Raven?" His voice was chapped and weak.

Cyborg opened the blinds so that blinding sunshine filled the room and came over, observing his moldy bagel. "Man, how long has it been since you ate real food?" He asked in astonishment. A groan and Robin pressed his face into the sweater more to protect his eyes.

"Robin," Raven said firmly. "You've been in here for days. You haven't eaten, or moved."

"I can't." Came the soft, muffled answer.

Cyborg and Raven shared another concerned look. "We'll get you out of here, buddy," Cyborg reached out and drew back the covers, lifting his friend into his arms like he was a sack of potatoes. He took one blanket with him and walked out into the hall. Raven took the dirty food and took it with them. She discarded the bagel and dumped out the milk in the kitchen when they arrived. Gently, Cyborg drew a chair into the center of the room and plopped Robin down into it, draping the blanket over his shoulders warmly. Rob kept slipping sideways, so Cyborg padded each side of him with pillows to keep him upright. In the bright lights he was pale as paper, his hair a mess. He stared at the floor.

Raven busied herself in the kitchen as their half robot friend retreated to get the others. "I'll make one of everything. But you have to eat it. No arguing." When she was finished, she stood by Robin and pushed a plate onto his lap and a glass of orange juice into his hand. The sight of food helped to pick him up a little. He took a bite of everything, just one bite, before draining half the orange juice glass. His energy crept back a small amount. He could lift his head and blink and thank her weakly.  
Bursting in, Starfire flew straight to Robin, hovering in front of his thin form. "Robin," she whispered. "What has happened to you?" Behind her Beast Boy was covering his mouth with his hand. His ears were drooping considerably.

"Yeah, that's what I wanna know," Cyborg spoke up, crossing his arms.

"I'm sorry." They all watched Robin intently as he sighed and held out his dishes. Raven took them and floated them into the sink for him. Once his hands were free, Robin drew the blankets around his shoulders. He shook his head. "I don't know what's happening to me," he explained, pained. "It all just… I woke up, and…" His Adams apple bobbed when he swallowed.

"What has made you this way?" Starfire pressed, touching his arm.

He drew out the green sweater and held it in his lap neatly. A deep breath filled his lungs. "I've been seeing someone," he confessed, much to the surprise of his friends.

"Dude, go Robin! You got some tail or what?" Beast Boy laughed, and shrank away from the glares he received.

Robin laughed. "Not really, no."

"Well tell us about her!" Cyborg grinned. "Is she pretty, does she drive? How old is she?"

"Did she do this to you?" Raven put in moodily.

Holding up his hands, Robin looked at them. "Drives, my age, and yes," he answered each question in turn. "Yes, he did."

They froze. "Uh, did I just hear you say 'He' or am I just hearing things?" Beast Boy blurted.


	9. Closet?

"No, that's what exactly I meant." Robin tugged at his collar. "I was seeing Kid Flash."

Raven sat down on the back of the couch in shock. Starfire's face drained of all blood, and she fainted into BB's arms. Cyborg smacked his forehead. "You can't be serious!" He stared at the boy wonder. "Kid Flash!? You're not pulling my leg, are you?" Shaking his dark hair, Robin felt red splotches of blush appear on his white face.

"Holy cheese balls!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "I, uh, never pegged you for the type, Robs." He struggled under Stafire's weight until he toppled over with a yelp, in a heap of arms and legs.

"And you said he did this to you?" Raven interrupted.

Robin nodded and rubbed the material of the sweater between his fingers. "I saw him every night for a month. A week ago he stopped coming. I haven't heard from him since."

Beast Boy struggled out from under Starfire and huffed. "You were kissing a dude? Man!" He shuddered and wiggled in disgust.

"We didn't kiss, or anything. We just… traveled." Robin said, embarrassed.

"Oh," BB blinked innocently.

Raven came up beside him and rested a warm hand on his shoulder. "Wally never came back?" When Robin just stared at the sweater, she studied his face. "You're this upset over him? Starving yourself, sleeping for days?"

"I told you I don't understand it," Robin snapped. "One day I just woke up, and he hadn't come back for me, and it was too much." Cyborg flung Starfire's arm over his shoulder and propped her up before turning back to him, and Beast Boy rubbed his neck awkwardly. "He let me know him without his mask," Robin rasped. "He didn't say I did something, he didn't say he was tired of me, nothing. He just didn't come back." Slowly, Raven slid her arms around him, and then so did BB, and Cyborg. They hugged their thin, sad leader together. He released a few silent tears that blurred his vision and made his nose run. Hurt tears, tears of anguish. They clenched his chest and released cooped-up emotion. Someone handed him a handkerchief that he blew his nose into.

"He didn't get tired of you, Robin. I'm sure you didn't even do anything. He's just busy or something. Maybe he's grounded." Beast Boy offered.

"Beast Boy is right. It might just be normal life catching up with him." Raven agreed.

"That's it," Cyborg proclaimed, drawing back. "I'm gonna go find Kid Flash and drag his butt over here myself. He's gonna give you a good explanation for all this, or I'm gonna test my new power laser on him." Starfire slid off his shoulders and crumpled into a heap on the carpet as he went towards the door.

"Wait!" Robin cried. "Wait, Cyborg! Cyborg – ack!" What would they say, what would they do? He was gone already. Beast Boy laughed and ran after the metal man.

"I got your back, Robs!" He grinned and waved before he sped off, too.

"He'll never forgive me now." Robin groaned.

"They'll handle it. By the time they get there, Cyborg's temper will be gone." Raven folded her legs and sat in mid-air beside Robin, hands in her lap. "Tell me about Kid Flash. Tell me what happened."

The quiet, calming tone of her voice soothed his bristling nerves, and he sat back, taking a deep breath and letting it whoosh passed his lips evenly. He was still so tired, and heavy. "I saw him the night I took off," he began. "I wiped out on my skateboard, and he helped me out. Took me back here to the tower in his car. Then… Then I saw him at the pizzeria on my birthday. We talked, and then he vanished. Like we'd never even spoken. After that, he came to the tower, late in the night. Told me he wanted to show me something. Next thing I know, it's every night that he's whisking me away to another country, another city, showing me all his favorite rooftops and ice cream shops. Georgia. Rome. Paris." He leaned his head back and shut his eyes. "Then nothing."

"Oh, my head…" He lifted his head and glanced over at Starfire, who was sitting up, crossing her legs like she was confused on how on earth she'd gotten on the floor. Her green eyes wobbled in her head. "So… he took you… adventuring?"

Robin nodded briefly. "We were… happy. I thought."

Cape drifting around behind her, Raven gave him a long-even look before glancing at the ceiling. "It sounds like he really wanted to get to know you." She returned her dark gaze to him. "For a kid with super speed, he was taking things pretty slow. I'd say that means something."

"But he stopped altogether. I thought he'd at least be back to say something was different." Robin rubbed his forehead. "Nothing. Not even a phone call."

"That sounds like being in the ground to me," Starfire admitted.

"Grounded," Raven corrected. "There has to be a reason, Robin, and I'm sure that reason has nothing to do with what you did."

A pause. "You think so?" Robin murmured.

"I do. Now let's get you dressed. Wally will be here soon, and you need some clean clothes." Raven lifted his sleeve and it smelled like mold and they all grimaced. The girls took him back to his room, him protesting, and picked out just what he needed. They left him alone only briefly to get changed before barging in again. He was just putting on the last touches. Still needed a shower, but Starfire put some dusty cologne on his neck and grinned as Raven took a comb to his bedhead. Soon he was spiffed and ready.

When they went back to the living area, Cyborg was talking in low tones to Kid Flash, fully suited up. He had his body language closed off in a distracted sort of way. Like he was holding a conversation and trying to be light hearted, but he didn't want to mention what had happened, or what was going on. Touchy, almost. It was in his jade green eyes and the unnerved swerve of his body as he shifted feet, backing up an inch or so. When the doors slid open, he looked up right away, the smile falling off his face.

"Robs?" He sounded surprised. Robin stood in his full hero attire, arms crossed, looking fierce as ever but thinner and wane around his face and waist. Wally's eyes filled with something foreign. Everyone fell silent. A pause stretched as Kid Flash glanced around and then back up at Robin. He started forward, his face unreadable as he climbed the stairs. Robin stepped easily back to allow him passed. They retreated down the hallway together, leaving the others staring after them.


	10. Assumptions

They sat on the roof side by side. Above them, the sky was overcast, like Robin's mood. Fall was coming quickly this year. The breeze was chilled and the waves had a bite to them as they crashed the rocks far below the dangle of their boots. The cold concrete was unyielding beneath their humming bodies. "It's The Flash." Wally shattered the silence, looking at his shoes. "He got reports from the heroes watching over the cities we went to. He knew I was still crime chasing. I'm supposed to be locked up in the bunker, doing push-ups and running laps until I turn thirty." He looked down at his hands. "But we had a big fight. I told him I had someone I had to go see, and he got pretty mad. Your buddies got there just after I broke a rack of weights."

No wonder he looked touchy. He'd just had a huge argument with his mentor. "I'm sorry," Robin said sincerely. "I didn't know."

"It's ok. I'll explain it to him soon. Anyway, it's about time I came out of the closet." He turned to study Robin's features. "I'm sorry I didn't come back. I wanted to. Every night I ran laps, and I pictured it was us… running to Paris."

Robin felt his heart throb with two sharp stakes driven through it. He couldn't look at him so he watched the waves crash instead. "I thought it was something I said, or did. I was trying to work out an apology."

"Geez, Robs, no way!" Wally stared at him. "Did you really? I feel awful now. Geez, I'm sorry, really I am! Hey." A warm arm circled Robin's shoulder, pulling him in, and the other rested on his thigh. "You're great, Robs. You didn't do anything at all. Not a thing. What is it?"

Robin wouldn't look at him. He stared at his lap, his cheeks flushed, his sadness like a sack of sand tied around his neck, dragging him down. "I wish I'd known. I was stupid about it, I'm such an idiot." He thought aloud. "You had a good reason not to be here and I was blaming myself. I can't believe it."

Wally smiled. Leaning in, he touched his lips to the boy wonder's temple, the area warming up like lava that boiled though Robin's veins and turned his face beet red. "You are not an idiot. You were just afraid you did something - fear does things to your head." The boy wonder looked up at him. "You're amazing, Robs. You're funny and laid back and you put so much of yourself into everything you do. Your friends adore you – this city adores you – I adore you. You're everybody's hero, Robin."

His nerves paralyzed him as he searched Wally's face for any sort of deceit. There was none to be found. Just a warm smile dotted with freckles and two twinkling eyes. The rope around Robin's neck snapped and plummeted away, leaving him lighter than a helium balloon. A smile melted his face. He put his arm around Wally's waist and they leaned their heads together and stared out at the city across the water, their free hands tangling together on Robin's thigh. The slick of glove on glove. "Do you want to talk about the fight?" Robin asked gently.

With a shrug Wally scrunched his nose up under his mask. "Not much to tell, to be honest. He thought I was disobeying him outright. And really I wasn't, you know? I was with you, we were enjoying ourselves, and I was feeling better. Really better. He kept extending my leave because he was seeing improvement but not the kind he was looking for. And then he just got fed up and checked in with his buddies and… I got mad. I am better. I want to get back out into the city, and fight, and he was just not having it." He squeezed Robin's hand. "I… I, uh, told him he was a bad mentor."

"He knew you were mad at him. I'm sure once you explain he'll understand."

"I hope so." Wally's eyes drifted to their joined hands. "You're thinner." He looked closer at Robin's face. "Paler, too. Are you all right? Were you sick?" His worry was suddenly palpable, as if it was a consequence Robin had been putting off. It had been a train in a dark tunnel. He knew it'd been coming, but hadn't known when, and preferred not to think about it. Robin gulped.

"Can we leave it alone? I don't want to ruin things." Robin asked softly. Not yet. He wasn't ready to talk about what he'd just gone through.

Watching him, Wally hesitated. "Yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, ok."

He held him more tightly and they sat in quiet silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company after a few days absence. Wally's body heat infected Robin with a happiness that repaired his state of mind. He felt like a giant weight had just been tossed off, like he'd been waiting for someone to cut the cord tied to his back. It had been so awful. That depression had done something to him. Hurt him. He didn't ever want to feel like that again. A darkness sat in his stomach. Swallowing, he looked down at their hands. "Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"Why not?" Wally caught on at once, concerned.

Robin sighed. "I have a team to run. I can't just check out whenever I want." He shook his head. "And your mentor is doing his best to get you back into fighting shape, Wally. He only wants to help you. You know that. Maybe we should just… get back to it all."

"And give this up? We've already done so much!" Kid's protesting tone just made Robin tired, and he saw that. His face fell. "I don't want to give you up." Releasing his fingers, Wally kneaded Robin's thigh, using his other hand to bring the dark head in closer to press another kiss to his temple. "This was just a bump in the road, Robs. You're worrying too much. Look, I can come every other night and give you a bit of a break to be with your friends - I'll work it out with Flash, and it'll be fine. Look at me." Robin glanced over the freckled face, feeling a spark in his heart he wished weren't there so he could deny all this. So maybe he'd feel normal again. Wally lifted his gloved hand and pressed it to Robin's cheek, smiling. "Relax. It'll all be just fine. I promise!"

His touch was so soothing. Robin wondered what it'd be like without the gloves, without the hero gear. If they were just two regular boys. He had a sudden rush of need to pull off his gloves and touch and feel and run his fingers through Wally's ginger hair - to just give him something to be really breathless about. He never saw him breathless. His fingers closed around Wally's wrist. "You're right." He nodded, conceding. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound like I want you gone. I don't. It just feels so complicated."

"Well, no more worrying. I've got this handled." Wally slipped away and got to his feet, balancing on the edge of the roof with his hands on his hips. "We're gonna be happy, you and me. I swear it." He held out his hand and Robin rose as well, smiling at last, and stood beside him. "Look at that city. Full of people to protect." He grinned at Robin. "Robin and his team and their city. Taking care of everyone else. Somebody's gotta take care of you sometime, you know."

Blushing, Robin thought of something as they headed back inside. "Do you need a place to stay, while you figure out how to explain this to Flash?" He asked, hand in hand with Wally.

"Yeah, actually," Wally lit up like a Christmas tree. "Can I stay here?"


	11. That was Quick

Just for the night. Maybe the week. Just while Wally tracked down his words, and put them all together. Coming out was a big thing. His folks didn't even know yet. Man. Parents. Robin couldn't even imagine telling Bruce he was seeing Wally. He'd probably get his arm broken. Robin brought Wally to a guest room and told him to wait for him until he explained it to the team. So naturally, Wally ran out and bought pizza and snagged extra pillows from the other guest rooms and took it all into his new room and dove into the pile before Robin even left. "Come back soon," Wally called, rolling around and grinning.

"I will." Robin laughed. The door slid shut behind him. The boy wonder smiled as he walked back to the lounge area, where his team was anxiously waiting for him. It was good to have Wally back. He was a ball of energy, a high-geared mind. He'd get Robin back up to speed. It was only fair, seeing as it had been his absence in the first place that had… He swallowed. He found that he was still very weak. Around Wally he was full of adrenaline. But his legs ached to be used, and his back felt sore, and his head was very light. He needed more food. Hopefully that pizza Wally had would do.

Descending the steps of the lounge area, he was met at once with Beast Boy and Starfire, eager to know what was going on. "Did you tell them?" He asked the girls. Both nodded. "Right." Cyborg looked pretty wary, and Raven was skeptical, but once he explained what had happened relief filled his metal friend. Raven didn't look convinced but she remained silent, drifting into the kitchen.

"See? I knew it wasn't you." Cyborg smiled.

"I actually think that was my call," Beast Boy pointed out. Then he faltered. "Um, does this mean you're into dudes now, Robin?"

Robin chuckled. "I really don't know," he admitted. "Wally just sort of happened. I didn't intend for things to change, but it just seems like it should be this way, so I'm not really questioning it."

"Right. Who cares where happiness comes from, right?" Beast Boy grinned awkwardly.

"So what now?" Starfire asked. She'd been standing to the side, rubbing her arm and doing her best not to seem as upset as she was. Her image of Robin was so perfect. Why did he have to do this?

"Well… He needs somewhere to stay until he makes up with The Flash. I told him he could stay here until he was ready." The boy wonder rubbed his neck.

Starfire's hair stood on end. "You did what?! Him, stay here?!"

"Yeah," Robin replied. "A guest room. We have plenty."

"Uh… I guess that's ok. I mean we don't know the guy that well, but he's a Titan." Cyborg put his hands on his hips. "The guy needs a place to crash, that's ok with me if he's here."

"Me too." Beast Boy chuckled nervously. "The more the merrier, I guess."

"Oh, all right," Starfire pouted, flopping over the couch. "I do not care anymore."

Robin nodded, smiling. "Thanks. It shouldn't be for long. The end of the week at the max." He went into the kitchen, and BB crossed his arms. He frowned a bit and twitched his ears as he watched him go. Robin opened the fridge and brought out a container of grape juice to pour himself a glass. He needed sugar to perk him up. The glasses clinked as he chose one. Tilting the container, he watched it pour, rushing out in a dark purple spiral.

Raven, who was using her powers as she washed the dishes, glanced at him. "Are you sure you want Wally here, Robin?"

"Of course I do. Why?" Robin put the juice away and looked at her. He had a bad feeling about this conversation. He watched her hands move almost in slow motion.

"He is the one who put you in a coma for three days," she replied lowly, turning to look at him. "We've never seen you like that before, Robin. You couldn't walk. You could hardly eat. Just this morning you were so weak, Cyborg had to carry you. Should the cause of all that really be sleeping here?"

He turned away. The metal cup shook as Robin lifted it to his lips and took a sip. "It wasn't his fault, it was mine." He bent his head.

"Robin-" She protested.

"It was my fault!" Robin snapped, whirling on her. "I assumed and I was wrong, he didn't do anything!" He looked down at his hand. It had slammed the cup onto the counter and spilled grape juice everywhere. It was in dark puddles, like blood, over the smooth surface. His Adams apple bobbed. He looked up at Raven. She was drawn back, her arm up to defend herself from the onslaught of juice that her popped out of the cup. It dripped off her arm as she stared at him. Even the others were staring at him. Drawing his hand back from the cup, he felt his head begin to spin. He ducked away, not looking at anyone before vanishing into the hallway.

They stared after him. "Are you harmed, Raven?" Starfire asked worriedly as she scrambled into the kitchen.

Raven shook her head and shook the juice off her clothes. "I'm fine. It's him I'm worried about."

"What is his deal?" Beast Boy demanded. "He's suddenly dating a guy we don't know anything about, not seeing him for a week turns him into a mushroom, and now he's all moody at Raven!"

"It is not his fault," Starfire spoke up sadly.

"No, it isn't. Yet he's taking all the blame." Cyborg shook his head. "Robin is really into this Kid Flash character."

"Robin is delusional. Wally has created a dream world for him to live in, and the very idea of it not being real sent him into a spiral of darkness." Raven said sharply. "It made him sick. Once he regains his strength he'll look better, but he won't be better. Not really. He doesn't just like Wally. He's infatuated with him, and I don't know if that's a good thing."

"Infatuated?" Beast Boy questioned. "Word definition, please?"

"Obsessed," Raven clarified. "Cupid struck him pretty hard. Robin is calm-natured, so we probably won't notice it any more than we just did. But none of this sounds like him. Sneaking away at night? Depressed for days, nearly comatose? Flashes of anger?"

They all exchanged looks. That really didn't sound like Robin. Not at all.


	12. Caretaker Wally

Robin changed out of his hero get-up. After what he'd just done to Raven, he didn't feel like he deserved to wear it. He folded his Robin suit and put it away, and changed into a black wife beater, dark jeans, and black socks. Then he took the sweater and a change of clothes walked back to Wally's guest room. When he walked in, two boxes of pizza were gone and another one sat untouched on the table. Wally was sprawled over his pillows and watching some monster movie on the flat screen TV in the middle of the room. When Robin came in, he looked up and grinned. "Saved you a pizza!" His happy mood was blunted at the edges when he saw the look on the boy wonder's face, worry overtaking him instead. "Robs?" Scrambling to get up, he went to him. "What happened?"

"I snapped at Raven. I don't know what's wrong with me lately, I've just felt so…" Robin trailed off, at a loss for an explanation. Hands gripped his arms gently, then lifted to his face, making Robin look up at Wally. His anxiety evaporated.

"You look hungry, that's what's wrong. Come on, sit down. Eat something. When you feel better, you can apologize to Raven." Wally coaxed. An arm around Robin's shoulders lead him to the pillow pile, and he was surprised to see a bed beneath it. The door shut behind him.

"Yeah. Yeah, all right." Robin flashed him a tired, thankful smile. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Wally took the clothes from him and helped him sit down. "What are these?"

Robin leaned back into the pile with a sigh. "Spares. In case you don't want to sleep in that."

Wally nodded, making a face of approval. "Oh. Cool." He lifted the pizza box over and set it on Robin's lap, smiling at him. "Eat. Slow, though. You look like you've been dieting for a week."

"I have," Robin lifted the lid of the box and picked out a slice, taking a bite. The taste of food brought his appetite raring back. He sank his teeth into the greasy cheese as he watched as Kid Flash blurred into a skin color, then froze looking like Wally West. All ginger hair and dark sweat pants and a green wife beater. A black jacket hung off his shoulders, too. He was holding his Kid Flash suit and striking a male model pose. "Wow." Robin laughed, admiring him. "They look great on you."

"They're really comfy!" Wally slid in beside him, tossing his suit onto the table. "Thanks, Robs. For these and for letting me stay." He turned on his side and put his hand on Robin's chest, touching another kiss to his temple. Robin swallowed sharply and the pizza bite went down sideways, his face lightning up with blush again. "You're like a light switch. I just have to do this and you go all red." Wally grinned and kissed him again, making Robin's face go a shade darker red. He giggled mischievously.

Blushing madly, Robin looked away and bit down on his pizza. "Quit it. I'm eating, like you told me to. You'll make me choke."

Wally sat back obediently, sliding his arm around Robin's shoulders. "And after you eat, you should show me around. If you feel better." He added.

Robin agreed to those terms. They sat and watched monster movies until Robin had three slices packed down. He felt much better at that point. It was junk food, but it was something, and his legs screamed to be used. So they turned off the TV and got up and Robin showed him all around the tower. He showed him the labs and the garage. Wally drooled over the T-car, where Cyborg was buffering her frame. They had a long conversation about cars and car parts and tune-ups, until he got emotional.

"We don't take her out much anymore, but she's still my baby!" Cyborg sniffed.

They tried to comfort him, patting his back, but he was bawling over the car when they left. They exchanged smiles as they strode along the carpet, Wally with bare feet and Robin in his socks. Robin showed Wally all the bathroom locations and the lounge areas and the rooms next. He pointed out all the empty halls, and the spare rooms… and then their bedrooms. They passed Starfire's room hearing loud, strange music, and decided to not knock on her door. Beast Boy was hanging up his laundry on a long line in his room and singing loudly and off-key. Wally flashed by him and put a pair of his boxers on his head. Beast Boy chased him around until he got them back, angrily tossing them into the laundry basket again. Wally apologized with lots of laughter and promised to buy him a new pair before Robin separated them. Raven's room was of course off limits, so Robin led Wally and right along the next hallway to his own room. Bouncing all over, Wally looked at everything without touching, admiring the katana collection and his closet full of suits. "This feels like you." He smiled and winked at Robin, who blushed and rubbed his neck.

"It's all I've got." Robin sank down on the edge of his bed. "When I came to this city, I had a bag full of clothes and my hero gear."

Wally turned to him, poised beside his mirror. "I remember that week, but I never knew you were in Jump City until you made this team."

Robin smiled. "Until we formed this team. It wasn't easy."

"But just look where you are now!" Wally spread his hands at all the pictures and newspaper clippings along the walls and grinned. "All the people you've saved, the world! Aliens and thunder gods and everything. That's big stuff. Crazy big."

"Yeah," Robin grinned. "It's just what we do."

He took Wally to the training rooms next. They sparred a bit, with Robin insisting he was fine, but after a few defensive moves he was dizzy. The pizza was wearing off. "You're really not looking well, Robs," Wally said when he helped him back to the room. "I'll go get you something. What do you want? Steak? A V8? Sleep?"

"A V8 and some sleep would be great," Robin conceded. Seconds later, Wally had a cold V8 in his hand and was lifting Robin into the spare bed, wrapping him in blankets as they sat back and turned the TV back on. Some horror flick played. Fake screams and fake blood distracted them both as they sat close together beneath the blankets, in a fortress of pillows. Robin drained half the V8 as the movie played on. Wally put it aside for him when he didn't want any more, and they lay back, pressed close.  
"I think this is the one where the girl is really a squid," Robin said aloud, confused, and Wally laughed.

"Thanks for ruining it!" He teased and against Robin's protests he began kissing the side of his face. Robin laughed, his heart pounding madly, but he didn't have enough energy to keep Wally's lips at bay. He shoved at him gently knowing it was futile. Wally's touch got gentle all of a sudden. Robin's chest, his neck, his face were suddenly places of interest. Staring at Wally became all Robin had the ability to do. He let himself get pulled in close, hugged against his chest, and drifted kisses along his cheek until he drew very close to his mouth. "You'd be my first. Would I be yours?" He whispered.


	13. Paris

Robin's heart was pounding out of his chest. His lips parted, so close to Wally's, and the fire in the hand thumbing his cheek had an unbreakable grip on him. Even though it was gentle. Even though it was just Wally. It was a demand, a magnetic pull. It was so deep-reaching that he knew if he let it have him that he'd never be the same – he'd never be able to look at Wally the same again, or at himself, because it would never fade away, this feeling. It would suckle his heart like a parasite and live within him until he was rotting away in the ground. It would fade but never, not ever be gone. And he wanted it. He knew this kind of need only because he'd known this kind of loss. He'd needed his parents all those years ago, he had needed Bruce like this. And he'd let them make homes in his heart only to be torn and shredded and cast out and left behind. In the end it was inevitable. But with this body so close, and this touch so strong, he couldn't find it in his heart to care.  
/"You'd be my first. Would I be yours?"/

"Yes," he declared, with a dizzying roil in his gut, and the contract was sealed. Wally kissed him then; he kissed him so softly, so sweetly, that his head exploded with a chemical bitterness in order to counteract it. It stuck his mind like a blade and sliced through his heart. So merciless. His mouth shaped against it. The press of those firm lips tore him to pieces and all he wanted was more. Their lips drew apart and then drew back together once, twice. Wally sank his fingers into Robin's dark hair. Robin gripped Wally's waist, needing something to cling to in order to stay grounded. He tasted pizza sauce and laughter and the rolling musk of want. In the end, it was better to love and lose, than to never love at all, right?

They grinned and drew closer and closer beneath the piled blankets and pillows, legs tangling, chests together, toes and fingertips touching. Wally wrapped Robin up in his arms and kissed his shoulder. He ran his hands along his back hypnotically, resting his chin in his dark hair, radiating heat and comfort. Robin pressed his nose into the crook of his neck and rested his cheek along his shoulder, his eyes sliding shut. One arm was curled against Wally's chest, the other still resting on his waist. Sleep drifted down on him like a blanket. It settled over his eyes and his body and cocooned him warmly in every crevice of his mind. He was sinking. Falling, slowly, carefully, until everything was darkness and the scent of Wally filling his nose, he drifted off. Slumber rolled over him like an ocean wave.

Beast Boy wandered into the garage, where Cyborg was drawing out blue prints for a new weapon in his arm, and sat on the table with his hands in his pockets. He sighed. Cyborg continued to draw without looking up. "Let me guess. Problem with Kid Flash?" He asked, carefully using a ruler to align two points on the paper.

"I just don't get it." Beast Boy blurted. "How could he get under his skin like that? I mean, Robin! He was thrown down craters into the earth and manipulated by Slade, and he still came out swinging. One crush goes missing for a few days and poof!" He turned to Cyborg, crossing his legs over the papers there. "Does love really do that to you?"

Cyborg glanced up at him. "Well, Raven said it was infatuation. But yeah. You let somebody that close to your heart, you start to need them, and losing them… You know how that is. We all do."

"Yeah, but Robin has always come back. He's always thrown it off and gotten his head back into the game. Will he be able to this time? I mean, they just met, and it's just… love lasts a long time."

"I don't know, BB. But you're right." Cyborg sat back, sighing. "Love does last a long time."

Robin woke with a jerk, his heart thundering and his head reeling with flashes of nightmares he barely remembered. His body shook with tremors. Somehow he was on his back, in a bed that wasn't his, in blankets that were unfamiliar to him. He felt like he was falling, sucking air silently into his lungs as quietly as possible. He'd been kidnapped before. Where was he now? Alongside him, the pillows he'd been leaning against morphed and shifted until he realized there was a person there. He shrank back in his stupor as warm arms wrapped around him.  
"Robs?" Came a soft whisper. "Are you all right?"

Wally. It was just Wally. He was home. He had entirely forgotten he fell asleep here. He'd never shared a bed with anyone in his life, why be used to it now?  
"Yeah," he whispered back shakily. "Sorry. Nightmare." A hand came out of the darkness and rubbed his arm, a chin rested on his shoulder, a body pushing up against his until they were flush, and each point of contact melted Robin's steely defensive mechanisms. Until now, he hadn't known anything to be able to calm him down physically. An expanding chest and the velvet rub of skin on skin drew endorphins from his brain that tickled his stressed brain. It tensed, then flexed, and then let go. Wally rested his hot palm in the center of his chest. A deep breath entered and escaped him. He wasn't alone. Everything was fine. He relaxed.

A soft kiss to his shoulder let him know Wally was satisfied with his reply. "Dream of Paris," he breathed, and sank back to sleep. Shutting his eyes, Robin did dream of Paris, but to his surprise it wasn't sunsets and fountains. It was entirely new. He dreamed about owning a small apartment, in a quaint town with cobblestone streets, that he shared with Wally. He dreamed that the roads were narrow and had clothing lines strung up between them. There were little mailboxes and flowers curtains across the way. They were on the bottom floor. Above them lived loud, rowdy families with loads of children. He even babysat sometimes. He dreamed that he rode a bicycle to college every morning in the pink sunrise fog with Wally tailing him on his own, and they always ate breakfast at a café with a big window that looked right out over the park. They rushed to class together and ate lunch together and spent hours pouring over their homework. Wally had his science textbooks. Robin even had law textbooks. He dreamed they had a black cat and they ordered pizza every other day of the week - and that they had always known each other, ever since they were kids, and that they always would.

Wally would burst in one day with some story about getting a science internship, and babble about it for weeks while Robin studied for mid-terms. They bought pies and cakes and cookies and celebrated with music loud enough to drown out the baby crying upstairs. Sitting back on the couch, tossing papers back and forth, Robin listened to Wally rave on and on about how excited he was to start the next day. Then when the next day came, Wally shut down entirely. He said nothing. Did nothing. For a month, he barely said a word besides grunting, and Robin would lean back in his computer chair in the next room and watch him write viciously in a notebook. His worry would roil in his gut.

Then Wally went missing. It was right around the time of a lab explosion and everyone thought he was just dead, because he'd been working there that night. But Robin knew different. He looked everywhere, asked everyone, put out fliers – nothing. Robin went back to their small apartment, and pet their cat, and made tea for one, and still nothing. He looked out his window and waited for years. He finished school. He got a job as a lawyer. And right before his first pay check, right before he planned to sell the apartment and get a nicer flat, Wally was sitting on the couch when he got home - petting the cat. Smiling, healthy, eating everything in sight, almost like he'd never even left. Almost.  
He tripped over his words as he tried to explain - to normal, French-born, heartbroken Robin - how in the past two years he had acquired and perfected the ability to move his body with super speed.


	14. Better

Robin woke the next morning fully aware at last that something had happened to him since meeting Wally. It was clearer after having dreams, and being that weak for days, and been through so much for such a little a reason that his head was off somehow. He slid out of bed early in the morning, leaving Wally snoring, and padded to the kitchen in his socks. He carded his fingers through his hair as he started to make some of Raven's tea. He'd buy her a new box soon. She'd been the one to see how weird he'd been getting, why hadn't he listened? That must be part of it. It had to be.

Like it always had been, Robin felt different being away from Wally. He felt normal. Heavier. But just thoughts of him made him weak in the knees again. Like last night's kiss. His head reeled with endorphins, and he clutched the countertop and leaned on it, grinding his teeth. How could one person do all this to his head? How was he so… different… just being around someone else?

"It's not your fault," came a voice from the door, and he jumped, whirling on his heel. Raven drifted down the steps and joined him in the kitchen. She was floating along fully cloaked and looking as if she'd been up for hours. Maybe she had. He stood up straight as she took over making the tea.

"It isn't?" He asked gently.

Her hands moved methodically to fill the pot, and put on the stove, not glancing out from under her hood. "Of course not. All you did was wipe out on a skateboard." She put the water on to boil and glanced at him. "You look… better."

Robin looked down at himself. He felt better than he had yesterday. A lot better. His legs wanted to move, and he felt more awake. "Some pizza and a V8." He explained.

"Wally?" She questioned, and he nodded in reply. "Don't beat yourself up, Robin. It's been a long time since you really let anyone take care of you."

Leaning back against the counter, Robin crossed his arms over his chest indignantly. "I don't need to be taken care of."

Raven sat at one of the stools by the counter and folded her hands on the smooth surface. "You needed to be taken care of yesterday."

"That's because he made me that way!" Robin fought down his frustration. "I've never felt like this before. So dependent. If he'd just left me alone, if we'd just never done this…" He bit his tongue.

Her dark eyes were even. "You would've never been to Paris."

"But I would still be myself." He argued. Sighing, he looked down at the floor. "Do you know what's happening to me?"

"You're in love."

Running his fingers through his hair, Robin gripped locks of it, clenched his jaw. "Then why do I feel like this?" His voice shook, and he clenched his jaw. "I thought love was a good feeling."

Raven reached out and touched his arm. "You've never been in a relationship like this before. Wally is moving slow, but even then, it's changing you. You're adapting to having someone in your life." When he looked up at her wearily, she continued. "Wally has only good intentions. He's making all the moves because you aren't making any. But he's waiting for you to set boundaries. He'll work within them once you decide what they are."

"Boundaries." Robin swallowed. "Not having boundaries would do this?"

"You can depend on him, so you are," Raven explained. "You're subconsciously letting him take the reins. There's nothing wrong with that. But if you don't like what it's doing to you, step up. Make some changes."

Nodding, the boy wonder breathed in the sharp scent of the one room they spent the most time together in, the lounge echoing around them with the absence of their friends. He looked around and for the first time realized how empty it was. No BB yelling and smashing a controller from the couch. No Cyborg piling a sandwich miles high with bacon. No Starfire rifling through CD's looking for her Tamaranian opera. He missed them. He missed being with his team. Looking back to Raven, he pressed his arms tightly over his chest and frowned. "What do I do?"

She smiled. "That's a start."

When the door slid open to the guest room, Robin strode into the darkness showered and changed and toting a mug of tea. He put it aside as he approached the bed. "Wally?" He called softly, touching the exposed shoulder of the sleeping figure. A questioning moan reached his ears. "Breakfast. Come now or Cyborg will eat it all." Robin smiled. Wally turned over, arching his back and stretching out his sleep-sore limbs beneath the blankets. Robin blushed as he tried not to stare.

He squinted up at the boy wonder. "Breakfast? You're an early bird, huh?" Wally sat up with a groan, and grinned at him. "I'm not surprised." He rubbed his face. "What's the occasion?"

"You," Robin joked. He chuckled, kissing Wally's forehead and sliding his fingers through the ginger hair at the back of his head. His heart thundered in his chest. "Come on, let's go." Wally happily climbed out of bed to join him. He slung his arm around Robin's waist as they walked, Robin sipping from his tea mug. Everyone else was yawning and wandering around the lounge when they arrived. They headed to the kitchen. The clean surfaces were all covered in plates piled high with pancakes and eggs and tofu waffles. On the couch, Beast Boy was drooling over a steaming stack of his waffles.

"You look better." Wally commented to his escort as he took a seat at the counter beside Starfire, who was picking at her eggs.

Robin put down his tea and tossed him a plate. "I feel better. Want anything else, Starfire?"

She looked up, blushing. "You don't have to, Robin-"

"Relax," he protested, "I'm fine. Here." He poured her a glass of orange juice and exchanged a smile with her as he poured another for Wally. "Have I missed anything exciting these past few days?"

Starfire drained her glass and added more eggs to her plate. "Nothing terribly important. A few clubs were raided two days ago, but we located their leader and he has been placed under arrest."

"And his henchmen?" Robin questioned eagerly.

"They were apprehended later," Starfire explained, "You see, they had a specific route plot…"


	15. Relax

Although Robin wanted to train, Wally wouldn't hear of it. He was still pretty weak. Just being up and about tired him out. He felt better than he had – his limbs ached to be used, and his mind was sharper - but that didn't mean he was ready to fight again. Instead, Wally asked Raven for some meditation tips and the three of them spent most of the day trying to get their legs into that pretzel position. It broke up the little bit of tension between them. They laughed together and practiced being quiet with a good example and eventually both of them got it. Even wiggling Wally was still.

Then when Raven drifted away to get something done, Wally shifted to sit behind Robin and quietly slipped his hands onto his waist. He touched his nose to Robin's shoulder and followed the flex of his arms and torso as he shivered. "You work too hard." He breathed. The empty training room echoed around them. He radiated heat and affection, and it was clear he needed to stretch his legs, too.

"How do you get that impression?" Robin teased, his skin prickling with Wally's touch.

Wally kissed his neck, wrapping his arms around his thin waist and pulling him in close. As if on cue Robin melted into him. "Because." He murmured, squeezing him gently in a protective hug. "You're so itchy to get back to training. I can feel you're not ready to go swinging your fists around again; but you still think you have to."

Leaning his head back against Wally's shoulder Robin sighed and shut his eyes. "I have a team to lead. It's my responsibility to be in fighting shape. Sitting around like this, even with you, is driving me crazy." He went to sit up and Wally held him in. Struggling against his strong arms was useless.

"You need to relax. The more you relax, the faster you'll be better enough to fight again," Wally explained. He pulled Robin down onto the floor with a cry of protest, pinning him on his back with one arm over his chest as he leaned over on his side to look down at him. "Right?"

"Wally, I don't want to relax anymore," Robin argued, exasperated. He'd done nothing for almost a week now, and he was going nuts. "Having you around is relaxing enough – can't I just-"

"Nope," Wally said simply, bending his head to kiss the side of his neck. A shiver racked Robin. "No nun chucks. No kick flips. No punching bags." He touched a kiss to his jawline in several spots and tangled up their legs on the floor mats. "No villains. Not yet."

"Wally," Robin let the name tumble out in protest, gripping the wrist of the arm pinning him down. His head swam with his pounding pulse, his entire body reacting to the simple skin on skin contact between them. It poured steaming into his head and filled it to the brim. He didn't want to let go and let him win. He didn't want to stay like this - he really was tired of being still. Every bone in his body screamed to leap and swing and punch, but he didn't want to hurt Wally, not ever. He just wanted to move. It was like an adrenaline shot to his heart.

In reply he felt the arm Wally was balancing on slide around his neck and bring him in, pushing his nose into Robin's cheek. "You gotta promise, Robs," he whispered, "promise you'll take it easy." His words were heavy with implications, like there was going to be a sort-of consequence for the wrong answer. A consequence he had a feeling they'd both enjoy.

"I can't," Robin breathed honestly against his fluttering heart. He was serious, but it felt amazing to have someone push this kind of attention on him. He couldn't tell whether he actually did want to get up or not anymore. The smell of Wally's ginger hair was engrossing.

"Well, then I'll have to restrain you," Wally grinned. In a flash, he was pinning Robin's legs with his own, both his hands tangling with his. Robin gasped. His oppressor pressed his body down and touched his lips to Robin's cheek. "How about now?" He hummed. Suddenly, the air was thick with desire, the deep kind that was difficult to think about and impossible to escape.

Robin's head spun like a dreidel. His face heated up to a thousand degrees, his body betraying him as it gave in, pressing flush with the boy on top of him. "Maybe," he managed. Every inch of the taunt, healthy figure over him was perfect, the pressure like wrapping himself in a blanket. A strange sort of fever seized him as he found himself wanting more. His partner picked up the signal.

"Still need convincing?" Wally whispered. "I can fix that."

He kissed Robin again, only this time it was slow and sultry like warm honey, without the frantic pounding of hearts sounding the rhythm but something much smoother, much more akin to breathing. Time did not slow so much as suspend, enveloping them in a microcosm of warmth and languid exploration that was theirs and theirs alone. A small breath of surprise was drawn between his lips as teeth sank gently into his bottom lip. The moment Robin found his hands freed so Wally would run them along his body, he reached up and touched his freckled face. The gentle tug of stubble on his fingertips was invigorating and he arched his back against this new feeling enveloping him.

Something in him clicked. He wrapped his free arm around Wally's neck, pulling him in, and began kissing him like he was in control. His mouth snatched at the other boy's fervently. A soft groan told him he was doing well, reaching down to push his hand under Wally's shirt and press it against his soft six pack. Strength swelled into his arms and legs all at once. It was just enough to usurp Wally's balance – and he was ready. The muscles in his shoulders flexed as he pushed against the floor and flipped them over so it was him pinning Wally down instead of the other way around. The world spun for a minute and his victim hit the floor with a definite thud and lay back, shocked, clinging to Robin's hips like he'd get flipped again if he let go. Triumph flooded from the teeth Robin sank into his lip. A brash show of defiance was just what the doctor ordered. With some coaxing, Wally smiled into the kiss cheekily and pushed his hands under Robin's wife beater, eagerness showing through his calm façade. His fingertips slid over the shaped chest and brushed against sensitive spots along his ribcage on their way to disrupt Robin's attention. He moaned softly against the lips cornering him and drew one from Robin as well. His legs drew him up a bit more to bring Robin begging for more.

This perfect mix of teasing drew the hungered-for reaction from the former sidekick. Robin found the blood rush out of his face and something strong throb against Wally's pelvis as he pressed his hands hard against the floor. His lips stumbled but the speedster's did not. Wally lifted his hips to rub Robin's, making him gasp, and slid his hands to massage his sides.

"Relax," he said breathlessly, grinning, and Robin released a shuddering pant. His eyes were blown wide with shock. Without answering he worked his hips down against Wally's until he got the same reaction. Again, they melted together. They lay rubbing and kissing until both were exhausted. Wally tangled a hand in Robin's hair, carding his fingers through it as he worked his fingertips against his scalp. Robin rested his cheek against Wally's shoulder and shut his eyes, blushing and slowly backing off his high. He curled his fingers against the lifting chest below him. Somewhere in his head he realized he'd won whatever kind of battle this had been. Not only had he gained the upper hand, but he'd defied the relaxation rule very quickly. Like they were opponents in a fight.

Wally chuckled like he was reading his mind. "You're incorrigible," he teased, and they laughed


	16. Intruding

Another week went on like this. Wally and Robin stayed in the guest room, sleeping close together every night, and every morning they would make cereal and toast in the kitchen. Eventually the others got used to it. Starfire stopped coming out of her room as much, but Beast Boy and Wally got along well, helping Robin beat video games together. Cyborg figured out that they liked the same foods (pretty much everything) so for dinner they piled plates high with junk food. Raven watched them both, let Wally drink some of her tea, and she continued to have the two boys meditate every other day or so. Robin was just happy to be back with his team again.

They went everywhere and did everything together. Wally would get Robin all sorts of health food to get him back to his full strength while eating entire pizzas by himself, and soon Robin was back and better than ever. The nightmares stopped. His color returned to normal. He even finished his jam and toast one morning and challenged Wally to some sparring later on. Of course, he got met with a grin and an eyebrow quirk, but he was better. Much better.

A few hours later, after finishing his laundry, Robin folded the last pair of socks together and tossed it into his drawer. It was time. He wanted to see how much better he was and face off with Wally. But when he went to walk to the door, it opened before he got there. "Hey Robs! Are you ready-" Wally strode in, calling out like he was across the tower, and bumped right into him. He was in his gear, all spiffed and polished, just like Robin was.

They laughed and stepped back. "Sorry, I was just coming to get you." Robin explained.

"Think you can beat me?" Wally asked eagerly.

"I think I'm gonna kick your butt," Robin grinned. "Are you ready?"

"Are you?" Teasingly, Wally pushed Robin's shoulder, grinning back as they strode to the training room.

They took opposite sides of the mat and struck their fighting poses. Robin's calm façade was chilling. He felt his tendons groan like unused springs when he bent his knees, lifting his fists and taking a deep breath. Slowly, he let it peter out, and sprung. He leaped into a mid-air summersault and swung out his leg, aiming for Wally's shoulder. The world whistled passed him. Familiar rushing in his blood brought him back into his fighting state of mind. The speedster lashed out and snatched his ankle, spinning him around and tossing him aside before he could blink. Robin crouched against the wall and stretched out, pushing his hands against the floor as he pin-wheeled back to his feet, racing forward once more. His fists flew out and jabbed several fake-outs, his last one aimed for his jaw. Wally stepped back as batted away each one with jerking motion. His surprise would be his hamartia in this round. Robin ducked and swung out his legs to knock Wally's out from under him, which worked, until Wally bounced against the floor and rolled away like he was made of rubber, sliding back to his feet.

Then he rushed Robin for a change. The speedster snatched for his hands, which the boy wonder knocked away one by one, putting out his open hand with all his strength and hitting Wally square in the chest. The blow sent him staggering back. With his balance usurped, Robin recovered his dexterity, swinging out his heel to catch Wally's ankle, pulling it out from under him. In a flail of limbs Wally tumbled to the floor.

"Whew," the ginger exclaimed. "That was fantastic!" He rolled over, laughing. Robin helped him to his feet. "You're crazy good, Robs. I think we have our boy wonder back!"

"Heck yeah I am!" Robin smiled. Overhead, the lights began to flash, and the alarm went off loudly. "Trouble!"

The two of them raced to the lounge, where Cyborg was clicking through the feed looking for something to explain the alarm. "I got nothing!" He cried. "Nothing in the city, nothing here – the alarms went off for no reason!" He began to type incredibly fast on the keyboard, looking frantically for anything that might've tripped the sensors.

Robin crossed his arms, staring in disbelief at the cameras on screen. "Something feels off about this," he mumbled.

"It should."

All of them whirled around at the sound of a strange voice, and all of them went slack-jawed; except Wally, who went white as a sheet. Standing at the doorway to their living room garbed in red and yellow was the one and only Flash – one of the big wigs, the main heroes, top in the Justice League. All that went through Robin's head was how closely he worked with Batman. He was in full hero attire and looking very intimidating and very angry, staring down his pupil.

"Is this where you've been all week?" The Flash snapped. "Hiding out here with the Titans?"

"Hey, he called us the Titans," Beast Boy whispered excitedly. Raven elbowed him.

Kid stepped up, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. I… just wanted a bit of a break."

"What about your parents?" Flash scolded. "Did you tell them you were going to pack up and vanish for seven days straight?"

Wally looked at his shoes. "I guess I forgot." He glanced at the wall. "I just came by before, I didn't plan on staying. So when they let me bunk here I didn't even think about it."

"I can assure you, they thought about you plenty. They worried themselves sick for at least two days straight before calling on me to ask if I knew where you were."

Looking up sharply, Wally's eyes were wide. "I had no idea."

His mentor gave him an even look. "You do now."

"I need to go see them." Wally turned and gave Robin a sheepish look.

The leader of the Titans stepped forward. "I'll go with you," he said firmly, and went to him.

A smile cracked Wally's sad face. He turned back to The Flash. "I need to talk to all of you."

"I'm sure it's an apology I've heard before." His mentor retorted.

"No," Wally snapped. "That's why I left. I needed to think about something - I wasn't running away from you, or my parents." The older male looked surprised, which encouraged him. "And I planned on returning home in the morning, but since you're here now I see no reason to wait." Even as abrupt as this change to maturity had been The Flash inclined his head acceptingly and vanished. Soon after, exchanging determined looks, so did Wally and Robin.


	17. Parents

Robin clung to Wally as they ran. It was like being in a blender when they did this, and it freaked him out, but they always got where they were going really fast so it was balanced out. Nausea versus a really long walk. When everything stopped speeding by, Robin staggered and Wally caught him. He held him up until the dizziness wore off. The boy wonder blinked, wide-eyed, and looked around. They were in a house. A normal house. He stared at the pictures on the walls, and saw Wally was in every one of them. The couches were worn and there was a plain box TV on a stand in the corner. Beneath their feet was a braided rug over pink carpet. It was so plain and clean. Looking at Wally, Robin saw his soft smile and remembered why they were here.

"I'm ok. I'm fine." Wally nodded and let him go and Robin glanced around a bit more. His curiosity carried his eyes everywhere. "So this is your house?"

"Yeah." Pulling off his mask, Wally sighed. "My folks place. I plan on getting my own when I graduate."

Robin turned back to him and quirked his eyebrow. "Where's The Flash?"

"Do you actually know how to summon me, or is that just a fluke?" Speak of the devil. They turned together, again, to see The Flash standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He walked over to them casually. "I'm sorry for my hostility, Kid," he said quietly. "But you worried all of us when you took off."

"I know. I know, I'm sorry." Wally rubbed the back of his head and sank into the couch.

Shaking hands with Robin, The Flash sized him up. "So, you're Robin; you're the one he just had to go see?" His eyes flickered between them. "The same one who took him crime fighting?"

"That's right." Crossing his arms, it was Robin's turn to be firm. He returned the man's steely gaze. "How did you know?"

"He took off his mask right in front of you. I've never seen him do that before, except around family."

"Oh." Robin squinted at him. "I didn't know he was under orders not to fight. But he never put a step out of line when we were together."

The word 'together' seemed to tip the man off about what might really be going on. He grew uneasy, shifting and glancing at Wally furtively, but his manner had loosened up considerably – his anger was almost all gone. "That may be so, but I gave him direct orders for a reason," he shrugged. "Kid has some ways that are surefire paths to clicking his gears back into place, and when he strays from it, sometimes he comes out all jumbled up." He turned to Wally. "Your head finally on straight, Kid?"

The boys exchanged an amused glance, and Wally lifted soft eyes to his mentor. "I'm better, Barry. I swear." He leaned his elbow on his knees. "Robs and I didn't do any fighting all week. Did we?"

Robin nodded. "He's right, we didn't."

"Really?" The Flash questioned in surprise. "I'd think you'd fight more, being at your home base."

"Well we were helping Robin- Oof!" Wally rubbed the knee Robin just jackknifed in shock. "Robs! That hurt!" He cried in disbelief.

"Sorry," Robin said tersely, his panic clogging up his throat. The Flash was close to Batman. He'd tell him anything he heard about how his old apprentice was doing. "He was helping me out around the Tower. My team didn't get much action anyway – sometimes it's just quiet in Jump City."

"Not too quiet, I hope," The Flash replied, still staring at him for kicking Wally.

Robin forced a smile. "Never. We get one rampaging monster at least every week or so." He sat down beside Wally, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry," he murmured as The Flash wandered from the room. "I don't want him to know I was… sick."

"Why? It's not like he cares." Wally snipped. He was a bit bitter now. His leg hurt like crazy; this guy didn't mess around when he struck a blow.

"He's too close to Batman." Robin whispered. The edge to his tone shook and Wally stared at him.

"You don't…? Oh."

Robin nodded guiltily. "Again, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kick you so hard. I'll make it up to you."

This interested Kid Flash. But before he could put in a request, his folks came down the hallway and into the living room. Wally stood up, Robin behind him, and went to hug them both. His mother flung her arms around him. "Oh, Wally," she quaked. "I thought you were lost in some foreign country!"

"I'm sorry, mom," Wally muffled from her shoulder. "I didn't even think to call, or anything. I feel terrible."

His dad rubbed his back, sighing. "I figured you were just being a knucklehead somewhere. Glad to see you're ok, boy."

Wally smiled and hugged him, too, stepping back afterwards. "Mom, Dad, this is Robin. He's the leader of the Teen Titans, over in Jump City."

Shaking the father's hand, Robin nodded to them both. "It's a pleasure to meet Wally's parents. I'm, uh, really sorry we kidnapped him for a week." He said sheepishly. "On purpose or not."

"As long as he was all right, it's fine." The father replied sincerely. "He's off from school all month, so as long as he comes back before he has to go back to classes, he can think anywhere he's wants. He's a big boy."

"Thanks, Dad," Wally smiled. "At least you're on my side."

"So why did you bring your friend, Wally?" His mom questioned. "Are you going back to stay with him again?"

"Uuuhhh…" Wally paled. Robin, on the contrary, turned bright red. "No… No, actually. I was away for a week because… I was thinking. And… I have something to… tell you." He looked at his mentor. "All of you." Reaching out, he drew Robin closer to his side, hiding their clasped hands with both their bodies. He clutched Robin's hand with nervous vigor. "We're together. Dating." Their faces were priceless, but indescribable. Something between a farmer who just had an alien spaceship crash land in his bedroom and a man who's just realized with finite brutality that his wife is also his daughter.

"Oh," his father managed


	18. Bomb Shell

The Flash looked like someone had tazered him. Wally's parents still had on the priceless faces.

"I know it's sort of sudden," Wally stammered, "but I don't know what else to say. I've just known for a while that I felt this way, and I didn't want to keep it from you anymore."

Wally's mother recovered first. She actually seemed to be pleasantly surprised, a genuine grin mixing with the shock on her face. "That's so sweet, Wally. Really." She shrugged a bit. "Surprising, but I'm very happy for you, sweetheart. And I hope you're both very happy together."

"Thanks, mom," Wally laughed shakily, feeling tears prick his eyes. He'd been so scared that they'd all be angry. His mother pulled him into another hug, glancing between her son and Robin.

"You're both such sweet boys." Robin spotted tears in her eyes as well and his nervous heart softened. That kind of acceptance, that kindness, was extraordinary. She waved her hands and walked off, as if to brush attention off her tears as she searched for tissues.

When she was gone they noticed his father had gone stone still and white as a sheet. He stared at Wally. "You're sure about all this, son?"

Nervous but determined, Wally met his gaze. "I'm sure. I wouldn't do this if I wasn't."

His father's heavy look turned on Robin, who was like a deer in the headlights. His heart skipped a beat. What if he got mad, and tried to kill him? Could he hit Wally's dad? No way! What was he going to do then?! Robin swallowed. Just let him beat the snot out of him, or at least fend him off. "I can't believe it." But instead of fury, the man's whole face crumpled. "Jesus, Wally. My own son."

"Dad, I don't… I can't pretend like this is what you wanted for me," Wally said quickly. "I know it's not. But I'm happy this way. I swear, I…" His voice shriveled up in his throat as his father turned and walked out of the room without another word, shoulders hunched, hands in his pockets. Everyone held their breath as we listened to his footsteps fade up the steps. Wally's hand was shaking in Robin's. He looked at the floor angrily.

"Why didn't you say something before?" The Flash asked, still in shock.

"Dad is why." Wally replied. "I knew you'd tell him before I got up the courage to. Then he would hate me and think I'm a coward, too."

"Wally." Flash walked over, shaking his pupil's shoulder firmly. "Your personal life is your choice. I'm not going to ever tell you what to do with your heart. Your father is just upset - he couldn't hate you, not even for a second. That man loves you more than life itself." He bent to look him in the eye. "And you are not a coward. What you just did takes guts, Kid, and lots of them." Straightened up, he gave Robin a sheepish look. "This is a lot to take in for everyone."

"Robin?" Wally looked up at his friend guiltily. "I hate to bother you guys any more with me being around the Tower. But do you think maybe…?"

Robin shook his head. "You don't even have to ask. Stay as long as you need to, Wally. You're a Titan as far as we're concerned."

Relief washed over the young speedster. They shared a smile. "Thanks, Robs." He sighed. "So, you're not mad, Barry?"

"Like I said, your personal life is your business. At least I don't have to give you the talk now. I wouldn't have the slightest clue about where to even begin." Flash held up both his hands in surrender. They all laughed, mostly out of surprise, and Wally rubbed his eyes when tears started to blur them. His mother came back into the room with a tissue box in hand. She shared them with Wally and hugged him one more time, promising to talk to his father before he pulled his mask back on, ready to leave. Robin shook Flash's hand again.

"I'll keep an eye on him, don't worry."

"I know you will, kid. Take care. Both of you."

Wally took off, Robin in tow, and they vanished into the city together. When they got back to the tower it was almost dinner time. Everything stopped moving in the room they shared; Robin sat down on the bed to recover, while Wally sank down beside him with a heavy melancholy settled on his shoulders. "Don't worry," Robin said comfortingly. "Your dad is just overwhelmed. He'll come around."

The speedster wasn't convinced. "I don't know, Robs. I just… don't know."

A silence stretched between them that was like a divider. They looked away from each other. The longer it went on, the higher the wall between them became. Robin didn't know what to do. How did you comfort someone whose own father didn't want him to be gay, even if he was happy? What did he say? He didn't have parents, not anymore, and Bruce was miles away. Besides, his opinion didn't affect them. It was tough to relate to Wally right now. Robin got up from the bed slowly. "You must be starving. Come on, let's go make some dinner. It'll get your mind off things."

At first, Wally didn't respond, and Robin thought he was mad at him for even suggesting it. Then he just shrugged. "I don't want to eat," Wally murmured. Now he knew something was wrong. Wally? Not hungry? Robin tossed his gloves aside. Then he unclipped his belt and draped it over a chair, much to the other boy's surprise. "What are you doing?"

"I said I would make it up to you – bashing your knee." He kicked off his boots.

"You don't have to-" Wally stuttered as Robin took off his shirt. The 'R' on the chest crumpled where he dropped it. Shades of red flashed in Wally's cheeks as Robin's green leggings were kicked away.

"I want to." The boy wonder put his hands on his hips. "So?"

"S-So?" Wally was staring at the other boy's chest. "So you're really handsome. But I probably said that already." He forgot to blink. "Or… maybe I just imagined me saying it… in a very… compromising position..."

"This is a treat, not an offering." Wally nodded absently. "Wally. Hand me that shirt behind you." Wally continued to stare. "Wally. Wally?"

"You're right. This does make it up to me." Wally reached behind him without looking and handed Robin a red t-shirt. He continued to stare as the boy wonder pulled it on. "I can't even feel my knee anymore."


End file.
